Heading to Nobody’s Business‘s Amusement at the Helen Phelan Gardiner Playhouse I was super excited to be seeing my first Toronto Fringe Festival show of the year. It was an adorable way to start.
Amusement is a classic musical comedy that you so often find at Fringe. The perfect mix of modern reality, humour, fairy tale drive, and a splash of mouse ear references. 
We are introduced to the Disney theme when Sebastian, one of the heroes, of the story wakes up with animated chirping birds offering him tea. And we get the urban equivalent when Rose the other character gets woken up by a raccoon offering her a beer after a one night stand. I enjoyed these two slightly off-kilter characters.
Rose, who is always up to crazy antics, convinces the down to earth Sebastian to head down to an unnamed amusement park in Orlando, Florida. They make their way down to Florida in search of the perfect summer job. Things don’t quite go according to their drunken plans, but in the true nature of fairy tales adventures are had by all.
I really enjoyed the humour in a fairy tale, set behind scenes in the most magical place in the world, it opened the door to many funny secondary characters and scenes. The secondary characters, also played by Morgan Norwich and Johnnie Walker, were really funny: The washed out hippy-activist, the lovable wardrobe mistress, and the off the wall crazy casting director.
Be forewarned, though under the guise of a Disney story line, joints are smoked and profanity is spewed by pretty much every character.
This is exactly what I expect to find at Fringe, a short sweet humorous play with a twist on a fairy tale. But with ten years under their belt these guys know what they are doing, and do it well.
Details
Amusement plays at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse. (79 St. George Street, near Harbord St/Hoskin Ave. and St. George Street.) Be aware that there is limited street parking in the vicinity.
Show times
July 02 at 06:30 PM
July 04 at 08:45 PM
July 05 at 11:00 PM
July 09 at 12:00 PM
Tickets for all mainstage productions are $10 at the door, cash only. Advance tickets are $12, and can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062), or from the festival box office at the Fringe Club. (Rear of Honest Ed’s, 581 Bloor St. West). Money-saving value packs are also available if you are going to at least five shows; see website for details.
LATECOMERS ARE NEVER ADMITTED TO FRINGE SHOWS. To avoid disappointment, be sure to arrive a few minutes before curtain.
Photo of Morgan Norwich and Johnnie Walker by Greg Wong